As a safety
reminder, it is important to wear
BLAZE ORANGE when geocaching during
hunting season. While hunting is not permitted on many TNC
preserves, poaching does occur, and neighboring properties may have
hunting activities.
The Alexander Berger Memorial Sanctuary is a pristine
forest that is relatively overlooked in the greater Fredericksburg
area. The Preserve is private property and is managed by The
Nature Conservancy to protect the native wildlife and plant
communities. The trails are designed to steer visitors away from
the most fragile portions of the preserve and toward those sections
that can handle more use. The Sanctuary is located along the
Rappahannock River.
The Conservancy has graciously granted express and
nontransferable permission for us to place a series of caches – but
only immediately along the established, well-marked trails. It is
not necessary to stray but a few feet from the path to find any of
the hidden containers. Most, if not all, of the hides are simple
and straightforward. Individual cache terrain ratings might appear
on the tame side, but if you search for all the hides in one visit,
cumulatively, the rating increases. In other words, as the tour is
laid out, it adds up to about a 3-mile hike.
THIS IS A SERIES OF 11 CACHES; they should be done in
numbered order. Don't be fooled if your GPS receiver says
there's a cache closer than the next in line! It will be true, but
you have to consider how the crow would fly there.
You could choose to do the first few caches in the string along
the River Trail, and then return from whence you came to the
parking coords. But if you want to get the whole lot, you must take
the Loop Trail around until it rejoins the River Trail. Since NO
BUSHWHACKING is allowed, we’re talking some commitment in time
and energy here. If done in two or more trips, you’ll have to go
over the same path again to get to the Loop Trail. So, you might
consider getting it all over with in one long adventure! In any
case, you definitely need to tote some water, and it wouldn’t hurt
to pack a snack, too.
Bear with us for a few more cautions. Please, plan a daytime
excursion; the area is open to the public year-round but only
from dawn to dusk. To get to the parking area, you must enter on
private roads - do not arrive until after sunrise - you
pajama cachers must restrain yourselves!
So as not to stress the wildlife, no dogs are allowed.
Our cache-addicted pooch, HenriPudelhund, is a tad upset about that
rule, but he doesn't understand that he can't claim the finds
anyway! We'll make it up to him somehow.
Speaking of "children" - should you choose to bring your
youngest geocachers, be aware that the terrain varies, and there
are places where they may need to be carried. The littlest kiddles
might not to able to go the distance, and the trail is not
stroller-friendly.
Finally, all who enter here must tread lightly and leave no
trace; we don't want to wear out the kind welcome The Nature
Conservancy has extended to us as geocachers.
There you have it, Folks. We hope you will set aside a few hours
to enjoy this lovely, hidden place we treasure so much. And when
you get home with a collection of smileys in your pocket, we hope
you’ll think it was worth the effort!
There will be a special prize for the cacher who is
First-to-Finish the entire SERIES. All FT
Find and FT Finish honors went to
bbmtc on
05/03/08. Kudos, Brian! We hope you and yours will enjoy the
U-Pick-‘Em Strawberry Certificates. Thanks for searching for our
cache series – do believe you set the time bar awfully high,
though!
REMEMBER!
- PARK ONLY at the PARKING COORDINATES
- NO NIGHT CACHING
- NO BUSHWHACKING; Stay on the marked trail.
- NO DOGS or BIKES or MOTORIZED VEHICLES
- BE AWARE THAT WEE ONES MIGHT BE STRESSED
Now, go look for MR. B's SANCTUARY #1 - THE
MOHLIE TRAIL. That's the first stop. Don't forget to tote your own
pen 'cause this is a micro. And it's not the only writing
utensil-less hide on the tour, so keep it handy!
For planning purposes, from this #1 Cache
area, it is a half-mile trek to the Rappahannock River. You will
pass #2 SHORTY and #3 HIGH SPOT en route to #4 RIVERSIDE. After #4,
you'll backtrack to the loop trail cutoff where the remaining 7
caches are laid out in a circular route.
GETTING TO THE PRESERVE: On Route 17, you'll see the
entrance signboard to BELVEDERE PLANTATION.
Traveling south, turn left onto BELVEDERE DRIVE just past the
entrance. GPS maps recognize and name the road, but it's difficult
to see and NOT marked with a street sign. The gravel road angles
sharply off Route 17.
Going north, the road is before the entrance. It's harder to see
from that direction, and turning right is awkward and dangerous!
Please be careful - you might want to drive past, then turn around
to approach going south.
The gravel road is private, but it is the sole way to access The
Sanctuary. The business owner wants us to park ONLY at the given
coords - they should lead you to the large grassy area in front of
the old shed on the right - before the first white house.
From the parking area, it is about a 0.22 mile walk to the
Berger Preserve Trailhead - again, on the right. It is clearly
marked with a sign. As you're walking, you may encounter big trucks
from the sand/gravel pit which also adjoins preserve property.